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| Nelson and Allie with rice paddies |
Indonesia was absolutely amazing! We loved heading north to the Ubud region. We spent a limited amount of time here but by far was our favorite as it was a tad less touristy but we really felt much more of the Balinese culture. We rented a motorbike and scooted around the area exploring new things. We took a look at rice paddies and temples. Allie took a cooking class while Nelson took a tour of a local village. Overall we thoroughly enjoyed our time here and would book more time up north in our next trip to Bali! Next we wrap up Bali and head north to Singapore, the land of retail shopping and Asian diversity!
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| Moss covered wall outside a temple |
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| Entrance to the temple |
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| ...ladies... stay away... |
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| This temple is known for its holy temple, Tirta Empul, known for its natural springs. The springs are distributed evenly so the water flows to the many different rice paddies in the area. The water is thought to be holy as it comes in an abundance for the people of the village, they feel it is a blessing. |
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| Touching the holy water |
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| Performing a ceremony |
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| Local Bali people praying |
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| Statues in the temple |
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| Nelson and Allie in the temple |
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| Nelson in an ornate doorway |
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| Nelson with the temple |
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| Balinese woman performing a ceremony |
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Taksi anyone?
Kopi Luwak.... if you have never heard of it, is a coffee that is made in a very interesting way! This cat like animal eats the best coffee beans straight off the plant. After fermenting and digesting for a day, the beans come out whole in the animal's droppings! The farmers collect the droppings that look like this... |
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| The coffee beans once they are fermented. |
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| They are then roasted and ground like this. |
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| They had many different kinds of coffee and tea at this coffee farm. |
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We had many delicious teas and coffees! Vanilla coffee, red rice tea, lemongrass tea, and hot chocolate. And yes we did try the "poop coffee".
Verdict... Nelson: Very good. Allie: Eh. |
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| Beautiful rice paddies |
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| A worker tending to the rice |
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| Allie with the rice paddies |
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| Nelson with a local boy |
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| Nelson and Allie with Gusti, our driver! |
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| Our beautiful bungalow in Ubud |
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| View from the room |
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| A friend that came to greet us every night on our ceiling! Above our bed!! |
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| View of rice paddies from the back of the motorbike. |
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| Girls walking to school |
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| Woman carrying goods on her head. |
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| View from the motorbike of a small village we passed through. The archway is from a recent Hindu ceremony. |
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| Spices at the Ubud market |
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| Children playing soccer in a field |
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| Nelson with a local man who was selling hats |
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| Eric Estrada look alike? |
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| Fresh banana smoothie. |
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| Allie's cooking class started with a trip to the market. Fresh fish. |
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| Woman selling fresh produce and flowers for their daily offerings to the Gods. |
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| Another local woman hard at work. |
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| More fresh produce |
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| Anyone need some chicken? |
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| Rice, beans, and legumes |
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| I prefer mine scrambled. |
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| Garlic, shallots, and peppers along with water bottles filled with coconut oil for sale. |
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| One of the dishes Allie made... delicious vegetables with rice |
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| Vegetables with a sweet tofu |
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| Allie cooking up a Balinese storm with the cooking instructor |
I didn't realize it was so gorgeous in this region! Great pictures!
ReplyDeleteWhat an amazing adventure. Rice paddies, Balinese cooking classes (you look so at home cooking up a storm), a "fresh" market, not your Mother's Wegmans, healthy entree' dishes, (what, no FDA, what an amazing concept:) Beautifully weathered faces and tropical places, mile smiles from old and young alike, temples and coffees and wonder, oh MY! Bellisimo!!
ReplyDeleteVegetables with a sweet tofu --> Oseng-oseng tempe! :D
ReplyDelete